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Back To Work Still Sitting

Being unemployed since September has been rough in many ways. I found zazen would allow me a way to escape and put a smile on my face during a trying period of time. Now that I've been called back to work, I continue to sit during my lunch break. I use to sit only at home before & after work. However, a mid day sitting has helped me "refresh" my body and has made the final few hours of my work day much more pleasant.

The nice thing is, my boss knows when I am sitting and is nice enough to hold any calls for me until I've finished. It's one of the benefits working for a smaller company.

Re: Back To Work Still Sitting

Hiya
Yeah i sit my lunch hour most days (been sitting and practicing eating oryoki lunch). Depends on the work load sometimes and if i took the time in the evening to cook my lunch for the coming days. mmm old brown rice and veg~! Its my "morning" sit lately.

Re: Back To Work Still Sitting

I found zazen would allow me a way to escape and put a smile on my face during a trying period of time.

I usually sit zazen toward night time, since my day (unfortunately even lunch time!) is rather full with work, the kids, school, or something. I'm really glad that you were called back to work, it's a tough economy to be without a job. One thing I thought about when I read your post, and I hope you don't mind my oppinion, is that you said that zazen would allow you to escape. Zazen, from what I have learned so far, is a definate help in being able to center and return to the "clear, blue, sky" of a harmonious mind, but zazen doesn't really help you escape from what's happening in life, rather it helps you to be in harmony with it. If I may, I'd like to relate a personal example. Recently, my wife had to quit her job, because she was pregnant and we had a few scares with her stress level and the baby's health. I had to take on another job at night, which meant I lost a lot of sleep, and my health kind of went down hill. In fact, I just put in my 2 weeks notice last saturday for the second job, and will be going back to college soon. We got behind on a lot of things, lots of money problems, lots of stress, some arguments and such, lost even more sleep due to stress, and even had a panic attack or two. Then I started sitting zazen, and coming to the sangha, learning from the many wise members here. I now know that zazen won't get rid of my problems, I won't sit zazen and reach a state where those stressors cease to be. I will however, recognize them as part of life, perhaps not enjoyable, but as nessecary as the ejoyable parts. There is no escape, because there is nothing to escape from. Even when times are tough, and you are struggling, life is truly whole and complete at that moment. If you deny the crap parts of life, you still deny a part of life.

Of course, this is my oppinion, and I am a newer member here, and I hope this came out as me trying to be helpful and not judging. ops: